Primary Education
by tinytim12
Summary: The Program has turned out to have been a bigger success than expected, and its influence has spread to the shores of power-hungry metropolis Singapore. Thirty Singaporean students, twenty boys and ten girls, will have to fight to the death. To complete their Primary Education.
1. Battle Royale

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

SINGAPORE

MOLDING THE FUTURE OF OUR NATION

**SUBJECT 1 - PRIMARY EDUCATION PROGRAM**

**1.1**

After the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 2000, Japan was left in a state of political upheaval. The government turned inefficient and the "Baby Boomer" generation; youths who were born in the period from 2001 to 2011, grew unrestrained and rebellious (see Appendix A). In response, the government initiated the Program in 2016, with the intention of curbing gang violence and crime rates inflicted by the youth.

Under the Program, which was conducted annually, a class of 42 students, 21 boys and 21 girls, all 15 years of age were randomly selected from a lottery and placed on a previously evacuated island, where they were given instructions to kill each other at all costs. There would be only one student left standing at the end of the battle, who would be treated to celebrity status and paraded around to the nation, an effective way to augment the fears of the population.

The Program, also referred to BR Act or Battle Royale, has achieved widespread success with economic growth, social stability and political equity enjoying a gradual growth throughout the years, settling back Japan in to one of the top ten nations according to the Machiavelli Index.

**1.2**

Although the Second World War has not affected Singapore adversely, the President of Singapore coined his own term for Singaporeans born between 2001 and 2011 - the strawberry generation.

Today, Singapore is of the most developed countries in the world. It is ranked sixth on the Machiavelli Index for Economic Prosperity and the Gross Domestic Product for all fifty islands has remained above the sixty thousand US Dollar Success line since 2005 (See Appendix B). It was ranked by TIME magazine as the third most stable country on Earth.

Despite this, however, something has changed over the years. The average GDP has been undergoing a constant decline since 2017. In 2018, the number of unemployed rose up to five percent, from two percent the previous year, and since then the figures has gone up at an alarmingly exponential rate. All signs point to Singapore's eventual decline, and, ultimately, collapse. To quote the Prime Minister - The ship may be strong, but it is sinking. Experts and sociologists agree on the underlying cause of this disruption lies solely in Singapore's junior workforce - the strawberry generation.

Today, a full twenty five percent of youths do not complete their tertiary education. Thirty percent of students who do are unemployed. Forty percent of students boycott school regularly.

With these statistics presented to him, the Prime Minister has ordered that the education system be revamped into order to better prepare the strawberry generation to lead Singapore's growth.

The strawberry generation are integral in the country's future, and it is vital that the Ministry Of Education do everything that is necessary to ensure they will be sufficiently groomed to become capable adults to lead Singapore into a brighter future.

**1.3**

Singapore's first Program will be initiated on the fifth of May, 2022. Class 4-06 of St Dufont's High has been selected through random lottery. The form teacher of 4-06, Tan Yock Sun, has agreed to act as supervisor. The Program will take place on the deserted island of Pedra Branca. Thirty students, twenty boys and ten girls, will fight to the death with only one victor.

Profiles of the thirty students have been researched and evaluated, produced here for inspection.

* * *

_Boy #01 - Darren Goh_ _(HSA(Holistic Survival Assessment) - 22%)_

_Boy #02 - Vivek Kapoor (HSA - 34%)_

_Boy #03 - Kevin Johnson (HSA - 38% {Uncertainty inherent})_

_Boy #04 - Jacob Lee (HSA - 29%)_

_Boy #05 - Kieren Yek (HSA - 28%)_

_Boy #06 - Yeo Jeck Boon (HSA - 37%)_

_Boy #07 - Takeshi Ushiromiya (HSA - 45%)_

_Boy #08 - Harold Cheow (HSA - 26%)_

_Boy #09 - Brendan Tay (HSA - 33%)_

_Boy #10 - Yusuf Bin Ibrahim (HSA - 13%)_

_Boy #11 - Liew Ji Hao (HSA - 28%)_

_Boy #12 - Louis Quek (HSA - 25%)_

_Boy #13 - Ian Lay (HSA - 42%)_

_Boy #14 - Sebestian Chandra (HSA - 18%)_

_Boy #15 - Oscar Chang (HSA - 30%)_

_Boy #16 - Samuel Lock (HSA - 33%)_

_Boy #17 - David See (HSA -16%)_

_Boy #18 - Norman Poon (HSA - 24%)_

_Boy #19 - Jeremiah Lim (HSA - 28%)_

_Boy #20 - Siew Jia Ming (HSA - 43%)_

_Girl #01 - Julie Quek (HSA - 20%)_

_Girl #02 - Samantha Gomez (HSA - 22%)_

_Girl #03 - Tay Xi Ling (HSA - 26%{Uncertainty inherent})_

_Girl #04 - Gina Pang (HSA - 20%)_

_Girl #05 - Sarah Hong (HSA - 23%)_

_Girl #06 - Alice Zimmermann (HSA - 40%)_

_Girl #07 - Joseph Ng (HSA - 18%)_

_Girl #08 - Melinda Kakai (HSA - 30%)_

_Girl #09 - Victoria Yew (HSA - 22%)_

_Girl #10 - Beryl Chao (HSA - 27%)_

* * *

**1.4**

It is understood that our efforts at installing the Program will be met with extreme resistance from the populace.

However, we, as a government, have the duty to do what is right and not what is popular with the people. We will facilitate whatever means is available in our arsenal to ensure the continuing stability of the country.

The winner of this year's Program will receive a certificate signed by the Prime Minister.


	2. Prologue

**Author's Note: I would really, appreciate some reviews. Good or bad, anonymous, s****hort or long, whatever, so long as you've read the damn thing. Everybody deserves a little attention, don't they...?**

* * *

'A for Maths,' Mr Tan said, nodding down at the report card.

'Yes, sir.'

'Consistent performance throughout all three terms.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Your sciences aren't looking too bad either.'

'Yes, sir,' Joey Ng nodded her head, unsure of what else she was required to do.

Mr Tan flipped the card over, glanced at the blank face beneath, and then put it back. 'How's Basketball?'

She started to reply, but he finished for her. 'I heard from the basketball coach this morning. Clinched the gold, didn't you? Apparently, the coach says it's all due to the Basketball Captain's leadership, hard work, and all that. Without that particular girl, the Basketball team wouldn't even exist.'

Joey squirmed a deep red under the compliment.

Tan leaned back in his chair, putting his arms over his head. He gazed out the window. Silence settled over the empty classroom.

Joey shuffled her feet awkwardly, waiting for him to speak, and when he didn't, she started looking down at her feet. Tan watched her with some amusement.

He finally spoke. 'You got a B for History.'

'I'm sorry, sir,' she said at once.

'Especially the bit on World War 2. Did you even study for it?'

'No, sir.'

'Yes you did. I see you with that big red book outside the canteen every evening. You probably study more than half the class. Heck, the whole class.'

'If I studied sir, I wouldn't have failed History.'

'You didn't fail History. You got a B. For God's sake, Joey - ' his arm jerked up and down as he struggled to think of a suitable expression. Joey broke into a slight small watching him. His eccentricities had always made him popular with the students.

'You've got dog eyes,' he said finally. 'Tiny, sweet, little puppy dog eyes. You know what? I've forgotten what I was going to see you about. Off you go, Joey. Study hard.'

She nodded, smiling, but didn't move from her spot.

'Is there anything else you'd like to add, Joey?'

'Erm - sir, about Ian - '

'Ah, yes. Ian. I'm afraid he's going to stay locked at home for a long, long time.'

'Sir, if you would be so kind as to persuade the principal - '

'The principal is a beast, Joey. And besides, I think Ian deserves a little alone time for that little stunt with the fire extinguisher.' He pushed up his glasses. 'Anyway, why should you be so concerned about him? He's not part of your Cool Crowd, is he?'

She flinched. 'Sir?'

'I'm a lot more friendly with the students than you think. Yes, I know the little nickname for your five man band. Four delinquents and one model student. It's quite a mix.'

'They're not delinquents, sir!'

'You're right,' Tan said. 'Real delinquents live up all the way north to Japan. I've heard these guys bring guns to school to shoot each other. Your four friends are small fry, sorry about that.'

'They're not delinquents,' she insisted.

'I suppose not. But, still, they are extremely lazy, inefficient, etc. Why do you hang out with them so much, Joey? I have a feeling they're influencing you.'

'No, sir,' she finally met his eyes.

'No?'

'I think I'm influencing them, sir.'

'There's four of them and one of you.'

'I'll make them study, sir.'

'No you won't,' Tan said. 'But you'll try anyway, won't you? Class President, Basketball Captain, Model student,' He took of his glasses and wiped them. Joey waited mutely for him to finish.

He put them back on, blinking a little. 'I'm sorry, Joey, but Ian will remain suspended until further notice. I thought you'd be glad, really.'

'I'm not, sir.'

'But he's not your close friend.'

'He's part of the class, sir.'

Tan burst into a brief chuckle. 'A quotable answer, Joey. Alright, if there's nothing else...'

'Please tell the principal.'

'I'll do what I need to do.'

'Thanks, sir.'

With the conversation broken. she smiled and gave a small wave, before picking up her bag and leaving the classroom. As the door opened, Tan glimpsed one of the Cool Crowd waiting for her - Takeshi, the scholar who had come in from Japan. For a moment, their eyes met. Takeshi gave a slow nod, as long as his ego would allow, and then turned away, Joey bouncing up and down next to him, already galvanised by his appearance. Then the door shut, trapping Tan back in the class.

Tan sat at his desk. After a while he opened his drawer and took out a stack of papers. These were the essay assignments that were due last week. Only half the class had handed theirs in. Tan made sure his glasses were fixed firmly on his face. He always loathed marking these things. Picking up his pen, he began to write.

An hour passed. Then another. The sun grew orange and the classroom shrouded deeper into darkness. Tan didn't pause to switch on the light. He continued marking, sweat rolling down his face, his movements robotic. It was only at seven pm, when the students had gone home and the janitor was locking up the school, did he stop. He felt incredibly tired. He sighed and rubbed his face.

The door opened. A broad-shouldered man in the beige uniform of the military entered. 'Goddamn you!' he shouted.

Tan took his glasses off. He wiped them again. He held them in front of his face and inspected them. He put them back on. 'Yes?'

'Where the hell were you? I've been looking for you for hours! You don't answer your phone, you don't show up for the meeting - '

'Relax,' Tan said. 'I decided it with the Prime Minister this morning.'

The military man froze immediately. 'You decided...already?'

'Yes,' Tan said. 'It will be my class.'

'Your class? Yours?'

'Of course,' Tan said. 'Did you think I would miss out on the opportunity?'

He took out the class register and studied it, his finger running down the names, one by one. 'Thirty in all. Twenty boys and ten girls. This will be interesting.'

The military man shuffled his feet. 'But...it's your class, Tan!'

'So?' Tan said. 'It's time they got a quality education. This will be interesting. Very interesting. I trust I'll be supervisor?'

'If you want to...'

'So be it,' Tan said, standing up. His hands grabbed the pile of essays; and then he flung them in the air, scattering them about, sending them left and right, turning the classroom into a storm of red tinted paper.

'Let the Program begin.'


	3. The Game Begins

Tan placed himself at the head of the classroom, right behind the whiteboard, behind his desk. Gripping both edges, he leaned forward and inspected his unconscious students.

They were all sprawled across the desks, in their original sitting positions, fast asleep. Tan stood perfectly still and watched their figures, studying the contour of each face, wondering at how distorted they would become in the days ahead. He was wondering what new offers his students would bring to the table.

Slowly, one by one, they awoke. They floundered around in confusion, blinking round with sleepy eyes, their heads going up to the collars on their necks. Next, their eyes turned outside. The landscape beyond the classroom was a patchwork of scars, razed and blown apart by the wonders of nuclear fission - an apt location for their final exam, Tan noted with some dry irony.

The next thing the students did was look at their teacher for help.

The students were much more interesting awake than asleep. Tan could read every single muscle on their faces.

All except one. Kevin, he was disappointed to see, still wore that same, cold, straight, emotionless mask on that face. Throughout all his time in class, Tan had never seen Kevin smile, frown, laugh or display any emotion of the sort. And after he had been drugged and whisked off to a faraway place, Kevin seemed as impenetrable as ever. Tan had often wondered on more than one occasion whether the boy was crazy - certainly, the rest of the class generally avoided him like the plague.

Who knew? Maybe he would turn into another Kiriyama.

He could see Joey seated right in front, he could see the hot fear in his model student, and he relished it. The Cool Crowd was sitting around her, the four of them - Class Clown Vivek, Victoria, Brendan, and the Chinese boy, Takeshi . Takeshi shouldn't really have been here. He was from Japan, and he had nothing to do with this. If his home country found out about this, the political fallout would be astronomical.

With that knowledge, Tan had conveniently hid this fact from his superiors. Besides, he had high hopes for Takeshi. The boy might surprise him yet.

'Sir,'

The girl in the middle row, Alice, was raising her hand.

'Yes, Alice?'

'What are we doing here?'

'Forget that!' yelled a voice from the back. Tan could see Ian, his favourite class delinquent, rise up from his seat and stab a finger at him. 'What the fuck's going on?'

Now that Ian had got the ball rolling, question swept towards Tan like bullets from a machinegun.

'Were we drugged?'

'Where are we?'

'Settle down, class,' Tan said, to no effect.

'What are these collars?'

'Are you imprisoning us?'

The door opened.

Two men walked in. They were dressed in military uniform with the full set of accessories, the helmets, kevlar vest, and utility belt. In addition, in each of their hands they held a sturdy M16 rifle.

The class froze instantly. Tan had to control himself from bursting into laughter.

'Students,' he said, sweeping his hand towards the two soldiers. 'These men are your new disciplinary masters. They are Mr Lee and Mr Wee. They also have semi-automatic rifles which can shred your bodies at close range. So please, don't force them to use them.'

Everyone had gone quiet, their faces blank. Except for class clown Vivek, who was smiling. Now that surprised Tan. Either Vivek was already going crazy before the game even started, or his skin really was thicker than it looked.

Everyone else however, was subdued.

'Any questions?' Tan said.

No answer.

'Right,' Tan said clapping his hands together. 'Today, we are going to play a game. It's called the Program. But first, I'll have to give a Briefing. Before that, I'll give a little History lesson.'

He turned to the whiteboard and picked up the chalk. 'Forgive me. I knew you all weren't good at History. Oh, all except one, of course.'

He turned to Takeshi . 'Nice A on your History Mid-Terms, Takeshi. I have high hopes for you, you know that?'

Takeshi shifted his gaze to the men with the rifles.

'Anyway,' Tan continued loudly, pounding his chalk on the board, 'Today, class, we will be learning about the Second World War. It was initiated in 1995, after the Soviet Union shot down a US satellite, and ended in 2000 after the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki of Japan.

'Some of you might be familiar with the misfortunes of Japan after the two incidents. Basically, the country went head-over-heels and collapsed. There was no more hope. Japan had lost the war and had two massive graveyards to show for it. The country went to hell. So the bigwigs got together and proposed - '

Ian stood up again. 'What the fuck is this?'

Tan nodded briefly, and one of the soldiers - Mr Lee or Mr Wee - snapped his rifle to his shoulder and fired.

As one, the class burst out into a symphony of screams and wails. Many leapt out from their seats and slammed into the walls, bouncing off each other, crying in terror. But it was Ian who had the blood spurting out of his arm. It was Ian who stared down at what was left of his left limb, his face marble white.

Tan wished he could take a picture. But the lesson had to go on. 'The bigwigs got together and proposed a new initiative called the Program. A random class consisting of twenty two boys and twenty two girls would be put on a deserted island every year...'

'It can't move!' Ian screamed. 'MY ARM CAN"T MOVE!'

'Help!' Gina, whose face was stained with Ian's blood, rushed to the window. 'HELP!' she yelled. 'ANYONE!'

'...where they would fight to the death until there was only one survivor.'

The soldiers marched down and rounded up all the students, or at least, the ones who weren't paralysed to their desks. Each rebel was given a bruise to the face and seated firmly back into their seats with a barrel to their face.

'Well class,' said Tan, putting down the chalk. 'Do you know what this means?'

Ian was making funny whimpering sounds. There was blood all over him now, soaking through his collar, seeping down his pants. His arm wasn't much too look at either.

'Ian,' Tan said. 'Please be quiet.'

He stopped whining at once.

'Class,' Tan repeated, pointing at the board. 'Do you know what this means?'

They stared at him with gormless faces.

'Haven't you been paying attention to what I've been saying for a past few minutes?'

Hollow stares.

Tan threw his chalk down to the floor. It snapped on impact and scattered across the floor. Then he reached out into his pocket and took out his revolver.

'That's the problem,' he said to his recoiling class. 'You guys don't ever fucking listen. You think you're so safe,cosied up with your little anime and tv and whatever the fuck you guys do, but guess what? Guess what? News flash, kiddos! You'd best start believing in the real world, because, you're in it now.'

He brandished the revolver. 'This gun has had a particularly interesting history. It has killed three people. Two boys, one girl. Two shots to the head, one to the stomach. This is what you have to do, class. Kill each other.'

He walked over to Joey and slammed the revolver onto her desk. He spun it round until the handle was facing her. 'Alright, Joey. Turn around and shoot Takeshi for me, would you?'

She stared at the gun. She stared at Tan.

'Do it,' Tan said softly, trapping her in his gaze. 'Do it, or Takeshi will shoot you instead. Do it.'

'I...' her mouth opened and closed rapidly. 'I...can't...sir...'

Tan rolled his eyes and picked up the revolver. 'My God. I would expect more from a straight A student.'

He pointed the gun at Takeshi, who jerked back. 'You as well, Takeshi. I hope you don't disappoint.'

Twirling the gun around his fingers, Tan cast his eye out for another student he could torture. He found one.

'Now here's the other straight A student!' Tan said, sweeping down and plonking the gun in front of Darren, the class mugger. 'Go ahead and shoot Julie, would you?'

Darren blinked confusedly. 'I...can't sir.'

'Whyever not?'

'I can't use a gun, sir...'

'There's a first time for everything, now pick up the bloody gun, point it at Julie and pull the goddamn trigger.'

Darren fell into silence, studying the long barrelled revolver with rigorous scrutiny. Tan sighed and darted back to the front of the classroom. 'My God. My goodness gracious me. At the rate we're going, none of you sad saps are actually going to have the guts to shoot at each other. Oh dear.'

Then his lips curled up into a grin. 'That's why I'm making up a new rule, right here and now. If you'll glance at the clock at the wall you'll see that it is exactly midnight. In twelve hours, if any of you do not make a kill, the collars around your necks will explode.'

Immediately the students' hands were at their throats, trying to rip the collars off.

'Careful! They're quite volatile!' Tan said.

That stopped them at once.

'You can't remove them, you can't take them off, so believe me, if at midnight the next day you have not shot, stabbed, strangled and/or drowned someone to death, the collars will detonate. Hmm...that means that only about a maximum of fifteen of you will survive the first day, hmm?'

Mr Lee had left during the brief interval, and now he emerged from the backroom with a trolley crammed with backpacks. The students shrank away from them, then alternately shrank away from Tan, who was coming up towards the tables again.

'This is your personal survival kit,' Tan said, sweeping his hand towards the backpacks. 'Each of you will receive one, and it will contain a flashlight, a map, two loaves of bread and a compass. Oh, and of course your weapon is in there too. It's random, so better start praying on your luck.

'By the way, don't even think about escaping. This is a deserted island, theres no reception, oh, and thanks to your collars we know where you are at all times. So if you try to swim off, the collar will explode.'

He leant back, clapping his hands together. 'Alright, I think that covers it. Any questions?'

For a moment, he thought their courage would stay dry. But Darren raised his hand. The revolver was still lying in front of him. 'Sir, what do we get if we win?'

Everyone cast horrified looks at him, but Darren stared straight ahead.

'A certificate signed by the President, your freedom, and a valuable learning experience,' Tan said. 'Pretty clear-cut, actually.'

He grinned. 'But only if you kill everyone else, of course.'

The class was thrown into silence for another good few dozen seconds.

Then another boy raised his hand. It was Jeck Boon - or Jack, as the class called him for some unknown reason. 'Sir,' he muttered. 'Do our parents know about this?'

'Yup. Nothing they can do, of course, but they're all hoping you'll make it back. Better do your best, class!'

Third ranked in the class, Jia Ming was the next one to ask. 'Will our families be compensated, sir?'

'No. Why would we? It's their fault for raising up such trash in the first place.'

That clown Vivek slowly raised up his hand. 'Sir,' he said, flashing a smile as wide and as big as the morning sun, 'Are there bathrooms on this island?'

A boy at the corner of the room burst out a hysterical laugh, before frantically covering his mouth.

Tan went to Vivek's desk. 'Is that supposed to be some sort of attempt at humour, Vivek?'

'No, sir,' Vivek grinned madly.

'There was plenty of empty houses on this island,' Tan said. 'And within them, you'll find bathrooms. Now,' he withdrew and stalked back to the center of the whiteboard. 'Are there any more questions? Good ones, this time?'

Jeck - or Jack - was raising his hand again.

'Yes, Jeck?'

'Sir...why are you doing this?'

'For your own good,' Tan said simply. He let the answer hang in the air for a few seconds for the rest of them to process it - assuming they had the necessary brain capacity to do so - and then continued. 'The time now is twelve-o-two. The game will commence.'

He gave a wave and Mr Lee or Wee stepped forward, a clipboard in his hand.

'When I call out your name,' the soldier barked, 'Step forward and take your pack.'

He paused, and then shouted, 'Boy #01, Darren Goh!'

The class was silent. No one moved.

'DARREN GOH!' the soldier yelled.

'Darren, come on now.' Tan said. 'Don't get scared on us now. Just - '

Darren shot up, knocking his chair over. 'Sir,' he said. 'One moment, please, sir.'

'One moment for what?'

Darren looked down at his desk. He picked up the revolver, cocked it, turned it to his left and fired.


	4. Day 0 Midnight Update

**DAY 1 **

**0003HRS**

Saint Dufont's High School

Class Roster

Boy #01 - Darren Goh (HSA - 22%) Kills: 0

Boy #02 - Vivek Kapoor (HSA - 34%) Kills: 0

Boy #03 - Kevin Johnson (HSA - 38% {Uncertainty inherent}) Kills: 0

Boy #04 - Jacob Lee (HSA - 29%) Kills: 0

Boy #05 - Kieren Yek (HSA - 28%) Kills: 0

Boy #06 - Yeo Jeck Boon (HSA - 37%) Kills: 0

Boy #07 - Takeshi Ushiromiya (HSA - 45%) Kills: 0

Boy #08 - Harold Cheow (HSA - 26%) Kills: 0

Boy #09 - Brendan Tay (HSA - 33%) Kills: 0

Boy #10 - Yusuf Bin Ibrahim (HSA - 13%) Kills: 0

Boy #11 - Liew Ji Hao (HSA - 28%) Kills: 0

Boy #12 - Louis Quek (HSA - 25%) Kills: 0

Boy #13 - Ian Lay (HSA -_ 26%_) Kills: 0

Boy #14 - Sebestian Chandra (HSA - 18%) Kills: 0

Boy #15 - Oscar Chang (HSA - 30%) Kills: 0

Boy #16 - Samuel Lock (HSA - 33%) Kills: 0

Boy #17 - David See (HSA -16%) Kills: 0

Boy #18 - Norman Poon (HSA - 24%) Kills: 0

Boy #19 - Jeremiah Lim (HSA - 28%) Kills: 0

Boy #20 - Siew Jia Ming (HSA - 43%) Kills: 0

Girl #01 - Julie Quek (HSA - 20%) Kills: 0

Girl #02 - Samantha Gomez (HSA - 22%) Kills: 0

Girl #03 - Tay Xi Ling (HSA - 26%{Uncertainty inherent}) Kills: 0

Girl #04 - Gina Pang (HSA - 20%) Kills: 0

Girl #05 - Sarah Hong (HSA - 23%) Kills: 0

Girl #06 - Alice Zimmermann (HSA - 40%) Kills: 0

Girl #07 - Joseph Ng (HSA - 18%) Kills: 0

Girl #08 - Melinda Kakai (HSA - 30%) Kills: 0

Girl #09 - Victoria Yew (HSA - 22%) Kills: 0

Girl #10 - Beryl Chao (HSA - 27%) Kills: 0

**Total Students Remaining: 30**


	5. Disclaimer

**DISCLAIME****R**

To whom it may concern

Although this work is indeed loosely based on real people, all alive and kicking, it is by no means an accurate and fully honest representation. The key word here is 'loosely based'. Liberties from every nook and cranny have been taken out and slotted in. No offence is intended.


	6. Joey

**Joey**

* * *

Ever since she had remembered, Joey had always enjoyed watching balloons. Pink ones, blue ones, orange, she liked them best when they were colorful. She supposed it had started when her father had started bringing home a balloon for every day she did a household chore.

So she had wanted balloons. Lots of them. Joey insisted on having balloons. And David, the class vice president, had insisted in stuttering tones that balloons were simply too much for a simple birthday party. Balloons, he prostested, would be too showy, too flashy, and would undoubtedly embarrass all who were present.

So later that day, after Mr Tan had rounded off the final period with a lesson on the Second World war, she had met her four friends down at the canteen to discuss the party. The Cool Crowd, as they were called. It wasn't unclear why their band of five had earned that particular nickname - as far as the notion of cool people went in high school, the Cool Crowd was cool enough. Vivek, a natural born joker, Brandon, the all rounded sportsman, Victoria, the hyper friendly chatterbox, and of course, Takeshi, whose ethnicity already generated cool in itself.

'Do you think we should have balloons?' Joey asked them.

'For what?' Brandon said.

'The birthday party.'

'Oh, you're still going on with that? I told you, it's a waste of time.'

'Balloons are embarrassing _lah,' _Victoria said, fiddling with Vivek's hair.

'Stop it, Vic - look, Joey, don't give a fuck about what these losers say,' Vivek leaned forward. 'You want to throw a birthday party, you throw a birthday party.'

'With balloons?'

Vivek threw his hands up. 'Of course! Bring all the balloons you want! bring the whole fucking circus if it makes you happy.'

'Julie's dad sells balloons,' Brandon said distantly. 'You could ask her.'

Joey glanced towards Takeshi, who had been quiet. 'Hey, Tak, what do you think?'

Jolted out of his reverie, Takeshi pretended to scowl. 'I don't think anything.'

'No, I mean, what about the party?'

'Do whatever you like. I don't care.'

She smiled. 'So does Julie's dad really sell balloons?'

'Dunno. Haven't heard, but Julie's nice.' He was already settling back into his chair, his eyes turning towards the sky. 'Julie's good,' he added after a while, biting his fingernail.

* * *

Julie's head exploded like a burst balloon, blood, brains and bone flying across the classroom. The remains of her hand landed everywhere - in Ian's hair, on the walls, and, finally, a speck of grey matter found its way to the front of Darren's glasses.

Darren put down the revolver, took off his glasses, and began wiping the massive frames. Joey watched him. She had always seen him wipe his glasses about every ten minutes. It was always abominably cute. It also didn't make sense.

Darren replaced his glasses and looked expectantly at Mr Tan.

The class was deadly still. Even the soldiers had their mouths hanging open. Julie's headless corpse toppled over and splattered onto the floor.

'Darren,' Mr Tan said slowly. 'That was uncalled for.'

Darren's face changed, and for a moment Joey struggled to figure out what the expression on his face was. It wasn't shock. It wasn't anger. It wasn't desperate. Then Joey finally realised. Darren simply looked puzzled, as if he had encountered a particularly difficult maths problem that he needed to inquire about.

'I did as you asked sir,' he said, his voice perfectly level.

'Yes...' Tan said. 'Yes, yes, I suppose you did.' he suddenly uttered a short, shrieking laugh. 'Alright, Darren,' he grinned. 'Well done. What the fuck. Come on up.'

'Thank you, sir,' Darren marched forward to the head of the classroom. He extended his hand for the pack.

Mr Lee or Wee hesitated, and then tossed him the backpack.

'Give him Julie's, as well.' Tan said.

After more hesitation, Darren received a second backpack.

'Sir,' Darren said, raising the revolver and jumping half the class out of their seats, 'I should return this to you.'

'No, no, you can keep it. Good god.'

'Thank you, sir.'

It felt like she was floating outside of her body. She watched Darren as he stuck the revolver inside his underwear, hoisted both packs awkwardly on his shoulders, and exited through the door.

Then somebody screamed, and the weight of reality came crashing down on her, crushing her mind into a bloody pulp.

Julie was dead.

Darren had killed her.

Things weren't supposed to be like this, They weren't supposed to happen like this. She couldn't make sense of it. She couldn't make any sense of it at all. She glanced towards Julie's body, hoping for answers, but the sight of the blood enraptured her. She stared at the bloody neck, unable to look away.

Someone was still screaming.

'For God's sake,' she heard Tan say, 'Shut up.'

The screaming stopped. Joey tore herself away and jerked back to the front. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Vivek whispering something to Jack - and she wanted to scream into his ear for both of them to shut up. But she was frozen.

Mr Lee or Wee looked back down at his clipboard. 'Boy #02, Vivek Kapoor!'

It couldn't be. Another one was going away, and it was one of her friends. It didn't make sense.

Vivek stood up and swaggered to the center, an insanely wide grin plastered onto his face. He caught the pack, turned around to the students, and gave a slight bow. 'Don't worry guys,' he said. 'Just _choing _and we can - '

'QUIET!' Mr Lee or Wee shouted.

Vivek smiled at him, gave one last wink at Jack, and started to walk out. In that instant, Joey instinctively opened her mouth to say a goodbye, the kind that you do to friends when they're about to go on their bus home for the day, but her mouth remained hanging. And then Vivek was gone.

'Girl #02, Samantha Gomez!'

Samantha stood up. She walked up. The soldiers threw her pack at her.

She started sobbing.

'Quiet,' Tan moaned. His hand was over his eyes. 'God, you kids can be so irritating.'

She cast him a dark, wet glare. Tan stared back at her impassively. She left.

'Boy #03. Kevin Johnson!'

Kevin slowly stood up, and began to slouch his way to the front.

'FASTER!'

Kevin neither slackened nor hurried his pace. As if he had all the time in the world, he caught the pack and meticulously began to wrap it around his shoulder.

'Just fuck off already, Kevin, will you?' Tan snapped.

Kevin didn't seem to have heard. With that same, dead face, he went through the door and left.

'Girl #03, Tay Xi Ling!'

Xiling collected the pack with barely a sound. She didn't meet anyone's eyes.

'Boy #04, Jacob Lee!'

Jacob stopped ten meters from the door. Then he walked back and addressed a girl at the side row. 'Sarah, I'll wait for you. Just stay put and wait - '

Tan sighed and motioned. Mr Lee or Wee raised his rifle and slammed it across Jacob's face, nearly throwing him to the ground.

Silence. Jacob picked himself up. Blood flowing down his face, he said no more, and left.

'Girl #04, Gina Pang!'

Silence.

'GINA PANG!'

Gina clutched her table, wrapping herself around it, Ian's blood still drying on her face. 'No,' she moaned. 'No!'

'GINA PANG!'

'Gina, you're beginning to get on my bloody nerves,' Tan said. 'If you're not here in ten, I'll shoot you in the head.'

'NO!' Gina cried, but she didn't move.

'One.' Tan said. 'Two. Three. Four - '

With a cry, she threw herself off the table and staggered her way to the front, scattering tables and chairs left and right. When the pack hit her, she nearly collapsed.

'Boy#05, Kieren Yek!'

Joey still had her mouth hanging open. As she watched Kieren disappear through the door, an impulse struck her. She had to say goodbye. She had to say goodbye to everyone. They might be gone forever, and she had to say goodbye.

She turned to Brendan. He was staring at her. With deliberate force he brought his arm up, spread his fingers straight and jolted them up and down. A firm handshake. Good Luck.

'Girl #05, Sarah Hong!'

Joey tried to return the shake, but he could only manage a poor floppy motion, like that of a dying fish.

'Boy #06, Yeo Jeck Boon!'

She turned to say goodbye, but Jack already had his back turned. He walked out of the classroom without looking at anyone.

'Girl #06, Alice Zimmermann!'

Joey was shivering. She didn't know why, because as far as she could remember this was the hottest day of her life, but she was shivering all the same, her knees rattling against the table. She couldn't make sense of it. She felt lost.

''Boy#07, Takeshi Ushiromiya!'

A short gasp escaped her lips. She had time to see Takeshi get up and collect his pack.

'Takeshi - ' she got out.

Instantly Tan's eyes snapped towards her. 'If one more person speaks out of line,' he said, 'I'm going to shoot them. I mean it.'

Mr Tan was supposed to be the most friendly teacher at school. He had this cavalier attitude, a merry sense of humour, and he wasn't supposed to be like this. It didn't make sense.

Then she remembered Brendan's handshake. His mouth had moved, forming two words. Good Luck.

She was in the game.

'Girl #07, Joseph Ng!'

The voice struck her down to her very soul, through her spine and down to her feet. It was her turn. It was her turn to play the game.

'JOSEPH NG!'

She got up. The next thing she knew, the pack was whizzing to her face. She caught it and held it close to her chest.

There was something heavy in there. What was it? A pistol? A machinegun? She had often gone with the Cool Crowd to the movies and seen action heroes fling bullets all across the screen, but she had no clue what would happen if he held a weapon in her hand. How would she fire it?

'I hope,' Tan said, jumping off the table and positioning himself in front of the door, 'there's a good reason you're just standing here. Move it, Joey.'

Slowly, she took off her pack. And then she flung it at his feet.

She wasn't in the game.

Tan looked amused. 'Are you sure, Joey?'

She nodded mutely, but she still couldn't meet his eyes.

'Okay, then,' Tan said. 'Your idealism always was a crowd pleaser, wasn't it? Pity your classmates won't - '

And that was when Vivek charged through the door, a silver .44 caliber Deagle in his hand. 'SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKER!'

Chaos exploded inside the classroom, Vivek spitting out bullet after bullet, the gun leaping in his hands, laughing like a hooligan, and then Vivek was on the floor, his body shredded beyond recognition. Joey turned her eyes to Mr Wee and Mr Lee. The ends of their rifles were smoking.

Tan held up his hand. A single red line, straight as a ruler, stood out on his finger. 'You grazed me,' he said. 'motherfucker.'

Vivek moved feebly. He was alive. There was no time for thinking anymore, not here - Joey ran towards him, throwing her body in front of the men with rifles.

'Stand aside, Joey,' Tan said, taking something out of his pocket.

His words were like pinpricks. What she focused on was Vivek. His body was horrible, a mesh of red flesh and blue uniform. She could no longer recognise his face. And yet, something resembling a mouth began to shift upwards.

And then Vivek started to laugh.

The thing in Tan's hand was a remote. He pressed it. A single red light pulsed at Vivek's mangled neck.

'Vivek,' Joey said, her voice dry. 'Vivek - don't laugh - '

But laugh he did. He laughed and laughed, choking his blood out, and then his neck exploded. Several things wet and slimy hit her face and went into her eyes.

Vivek had stopped laughing.

'Vivek?' she said, touching his shoulder. 'Are - are you okay?'

Of was he wasn't okay. He was dead. And yet, Joey kept on shaking him. She rocked him back and forth like a little baby, hardly aware of the tears rushing down her face, when a number flashed in her head.

Four.

The Cool Crowd was down to four.

'Joey,' Tan said, and his voice sounded murderous. 'Get out.'

She didn't even try to resist. Vivek was dead, his body a mangled slab of meat, and her teacher had ordered her to get out. So she got out.

* * *

It was only when she left the school did she start to cry.

Why was she only crying now? Why couldn't she have cried back at the classroom, when Vivek had breathed his last, or even when Darren had first pulled the trigger? Wasn't it good to cry?

She couldn't help herself - she felt guilty. She could have done something, cried at the very least, but in the end she wasn't able to do even that. Shouldn't Class Presidents mourn for their dead classmates? Why couldn't she?

And the fact that she was worrying about this when all of them were trying to kill her.

No. They wouldn't. They wouldn't kill - she knew them. But after a while even her adreneline riddled brain had to acknowledge some might. Ian, maybe. Or Kevin. And of course, Darren. But the rest couldn't kill. They wouldn't.

If she kept telling herself that, he hoped it would come true. Who knew, right? It might even be true in the first place. Her mother had always thought her to look on the positive side, right?

She took a moment to view her surroundings. All she could see, was absolutely nothing. It was dark, cold, and the trees were just black silhouettes in her eyes. She thought of bringing out her flashlight, but remembered she had thrown it, as well as the rest of her survival chances, on the floor back inside the classroom.

She surged forward, not knowing where she was heading, but driven by an unbidden instinct to keep as much distance as possible from the school. Leaves smacked at her face, and when she cleared them she was faced with ten more. The forest seemed endless; the darkness complete. She felt like crying again.

Always the positive, remember, Joey?

She thought of Brendan. She thought of his handshake. Then the solution hit her.

She had to join up with the Cool Crowd. She had to meet her friends. She had to make sure they stayed alive. Victoria, Brendan, and Takeshi. Two of them were still back at the school. But if the four of them united, they would stand a chance.

Good Luck.

She turned around and tried to go back, but the route turned unfamiliar. She realised, with a churning feeling boiling its way up to her heart, that she was lost. She wandered aimlessly for a few minutes, trying to keep patient, but she only found more trees.

Something crackled behind her.

Joey whirled round, slamming into a tree trunk in confusion. That was definitely a footstep - someone's foot had come down on an empty twig.

She waited, hugging the trunk with her her might, but nothing further came.

Should she call out? Was that what she was supposed to do in this situation?

Surely they wouldn't kill, right?

'Hello?' she called out.

For a moment all she heard was rumbling leaves, and then a voice floated out of the darkness. 'J-Jacob...is that you?'

'It's Joey!' she called out.

The voice floated closer. 'Jacob?'

'I'm Joey!' she shouted again.

A girl emerged from the trees, her face glistening.

'Sarah!' Joey said in relief, releasing the trunk. 'Are - are you okay?'

Sarah sniffed. 'Where's Jacob?'

'He left before me. Look, we have to travel together. We're safer if - '

'I'm sure I heard him,' Sarah moaned, glancing towards the moon. 'I heard him, and then I called out, but I couldn't find him. He said he'd wait for me,' she started weeping silently. 'He said he'd wait for me.'

Joey grasped her shoulder gently. 'Sarah - we can find Jacob. But we have to do this together. Come on, let's find out way out of here.'

She threw off Joey's hand. 'I have to wait here!'

'But - '

'_I have to wait here!'_

'Sarah...' Joey rubbed her throbbing arm, and at this precise moment, she heard a gunshot.

Sarah jerked her head towards it. 'I heard him!' She grasped onto Joey's hand. 'Did you hear him? Did you?'

That was a gunshot. Someone in the trees had fired a gun.

And from the sound of it, it was very, very near.

'We have to go,' Joey said, 'We have to get out of here - '

She ran in one direction, but Sarah pulled her back, and they both fell over in a tumbling heap.

'Follow me!' Joey yelped, jumping up and running. She turned back to check if Sarah was panting after her.

She wasn't. The clearing was empty. Sarah had disappeared.

'Sarah!' Joey took a slow step. 'Sarah!'

The forests were silent, shielding her view with impenetrable leaves. She could fancy she could still hear the gunshot still ringing in her ears.

'Sarah?' she whispered, taking a step back this time.

Her foot hit the trunk, and then she was bolting, leaves scattering in her wake, running to somewhere she didn't know. Sarah was gone, long gone, and Joey was alone again. She was running away from the gunshot, while Sarah was probably staggering towards it, and by now she had probably received a bullet to her face while Joey had been still busy running.

Always think positive, right?


	7. Gina

**Gina**

* * *

Takeshi!

Why was it, she wondered, as she was feeling through the forest, leaves slapping against her face, her shoe mangled and splitting, that what ran through her head was not death at the hands of her beloved classmates but the only one she had ever truly loved?

Takeshi!

Love was blind, wasn't it? Stuck on and island where she would die, and instead of her life flashing before her eyes, all she could get out of herself was a shallow crush. She remembered him playing basketball with Joey and Brendan, his muscles taut against a navy blue singlet, his creased face drenched in sweat. What would he say if he knew what she was thinking now?

Did he even know she existed?

Takeshi!

Gina ran on, slipping through the trees, with her pistol bumping against her thigh as she ran. It was light, and very small, and more that once she had fretted that it would fail to do what it had to do when she pulled the trigger. Her father called it a Beretta, maybe. But certainly Takeshi would know how to handle one. If there was anyone who could take control of this game, it was Takeshi. He hailed from a war-battered country across the sea, rugged and bold, and if there was anything here to be done Takeshi would be the one to do it.

Takeshi!

Would he swoop down and rescue her with a white horse? The odds were slim, but a girl could hope, couldn't she? Even if she was stranded thousands of miles away on a freezing deathtrap, a girl was still allowed to dream, wasn't she?

She burst out into a clearing, nearly tumbled head over hills down a hill, and finally stopped to rest near a clump of bushes. The leaves here tickled against her skin instead of grazing it, so she sat down panting.

Would Takeshi survive this game? And would she ever get a chance to confess to him, or even see him, before she died? What would he -

'Gina!'

It was a boy's voice. She whirled round.

Oscar Chong, his pig's face looking somewhat amiable under the dim light, standing uncertainly between two bushes. In his hands was a large, wooden stick.

The two of them faced each other.

Was Oscar safe?

Certainly, Oscar was a decent all-rounder nice guy in the class, albeit more than a bit on the wild side for dirty jokes, but you could never tell, could you? She tried to reach for her Beretta, but her arms wouldn't respond.

Oscar stepped forward, whacking his stick against his leg. 'Hey, Gina, what're doing here? You'll dirty your skirt.'

'Huh?' she unconsciously got up in confusion.

'Girls should never sit in the dirt,' Oscar decided. 'It's bad.'

'Er - '

It was amazing that even now conversations could remain as awkward as they were back in the day.

And, was she seeing things, or was Oscar actually scratching his crotch?

'I haven't seen anyone around here,' Oscar said, his arm working up and down. 'Except you, I mean. This place is like some wasteland or something. Where'd everyone go?'

'Hiding, I guess,' she was amazed she could give a coherent response.

'I mean, there's thirty of us, so we should be running into each other right?' He rubbed the wooden stick against his back. 'It's strange.' Then, he asked suddenly, 'Would you fuck me?'

'What?'

'Would you fuck me?' Oscar said, rubbing his crotch with renewed vigour.

Her mouth dropped open. 'What,' she managed.

'Would you fuck me,' Oscar reiterated patiently.

'Wha - why?'

'Because I've never done it before,' Oscar said. 'And I want to do it now.'

'Why?'

'I just said why,' he cocked his head. 'Would you fuck me?'

'Have you gone insane? We could be dead any minute, and all you can think about is - '

Oscar threw his stick in front of him, cutting her off. He began separating it into two, revealing something silver.

It wasn't a stick at all, Gina realised. It was a sword.

'I can make you fuck me,' Oscar said. 'You know. I have a sword. I can even use it to penetrate your cunt.' His head lolled back. 'Stuck it in. Up and down, up and down...'

'You're crazy!' she screamed, backing away.

'Sorry,' Oscar said, stepping forward, brandishing his sword. 'Really, I am. But I really need to fuck. Sorry.'

She grasped her Beretta and struggled to hoist it up. 'St - stay back. I'll shoot.'

He didn't even seem to notice his impending death. 'I won't hurt you,' he pleaded, swinging his sword back and forth, like a finely tuned pendulum. 'Well actually, I'm probably going to hurt you. But I'll try not to. I promise.'

She pulled the trigger. The recoil was big, greater than she had ever expected, and her weapon flew away into the bushes. The shot grazed the side of Oscar's cheek, throwing him back.

He was back on his feet in seconds. He stroked his cheek and wince. 'You shot me,' he said distantly. 'You shot me.' He raised the sword. His face creased suddenly. 'BITCH!'

He flew at her, and she ran.

The bushes flashed by as her barreled through them, and she could hear Oscar blundering through the leaves behind her. She ran and she ran, and then her shoe flew off, spinning high into the air and landing a few meters out of her reach. She didn't have time to pick it up. She just ran.

'FUCK!' she heard him shout. 'FUCK YOU! FUCK ME!'

He was insane. Oscar Chong was absolutely and completely and utterly insane. She gave small cries of terror as she ran.

Then, just as her chest was about to give out, she collapsed into a nearby bush and lay there, eyes wide with fright. Miraculously; he hadn't seen her hide; she could see his silhouette running past her.

And then, it stopped. 'Gina? Where'd you go?'

She scrambled to her knees and retreated deeper into her bush, practically choking on her herself to stop from screaming.

'Gina?' she heard him thrashing about. 'I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to fuck fuck fuck! Come on, come out!'

She moved back closer, and her foot bumped against something. She looked down to see someone's shoe.

Someone was in the bush with her.

She turned around, and saw the dark, shadowed face of Kevin. As they stared at each other, he, very slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, brought up his finger to his lips.

'Gina?' Oscar's voice was getting further away. 'Gina...?'

Gina sat frozen, her mind divided into two. She was trapped between two psychopaths. One a rapist and the other a robot. She didn't know what to do.

Kevin shifted slightly, and she fell over. But he was only getting up. She watched as he brushed out of the bush, surely in full of Oscar - had he been there. But he appeared to have left. Hesitantly, she followed him out as well. The trees were clear here, and she could see several straight paths running out of ther clearing. Oscar had probably taken one of them.

Kevin gave her one, brief glance, immediately lost interest, and started to walk away.

'Wait!' she called out.

He stopped.

'Do - don't leave me!'

He turned around. Gave her another blank stare. And then he lumbered on.

'Wait!' she called out again, but he was gone. She was all alone now, weaponless and defenseless.

Why was she asking for Kevin's help, anyway? That guy was a dead fish, wasn't he? What good would he be?

And why had she ever started trusting Oscar in the first place? That guy was a total pig.

Takeshi!

She had to find him. She had to find Takeshi. He would be waiting for her, he had to be. He might even be looking for her right now. Sure, he might not even know she existed, but there was no possible way so much love could be unrequited. He had to know, in his own way, that she loved him, and when they found each other they could protect each other.

She set off again, running harder than she ever had, her legs pumping with renewed purpose.


	8. Ji Hao and Melinda

**Ji Hao and Melinda**

* * *

'Are you going to kill me?'

The two of them stood, face to face, near the angry river, their guns in their hands.

'Are you going to kill me?' she asked in return.

Ji Hao glanced towards the water, and then shoved his gun towards it. 'No. Of course not. Are you going to kill me?'

'No,' she lowered the gun as well.

'We aren't going to kill each other,' Ji Hao said, rather matter-of-factly. It was one of the reasons why she had chosen him. Ji Hao always said it like it was - no superficial wisecracks, no arrogant promises. Ji Hao had always loved her as she was.

Just as how Melinda had loved him. She crept closer to him, now barely aware of her gun. 'Are you alright?'

'Why?'

'You seem pretty tired.'

'Anyone would be tired,' he said, 'After Darren killed Julie.'

She shivered. 'It was horrible.'

'And Darren, of all people...' he motioned to the ground, and she understood him. They both sat down, their bodies pressing against each other. They watched the river buck and churn.

'Ji Hao,' she said.

'Yeah?'

'Would you kiss me?'

'Not now,' he said. 'We can't get distracted now.'

'Please?'

'We can't get distracted,' he repeated, but he said it softer this time. He knew. Both of them knew. Right now, in this quiet place with the violent river, it was the last time they would be able to kiss each other. So they both leaned forward and kissed, a brief, but deep exchange of passion. The river roared harder.

When they withdrew, she had one question on her mind. 'Did you see Sarah?'

'Sarah? I think I heard her calling Jacob's name.'

'Yeah...I heard her too. Jacob said he would wait for her, didn't he?'

'Yeah.'

'And he didn't.'

'I know what you're thinking,' he said. 'I'll wait for you. If we get separated, I'll wait for you.'

'Thanks.'

They snuggled briefly, their guns touching each other's hips.

'Hey,' Ji Hao said, and hesitated. 'You'll wait for me too, right?'

'What?' she chuckled. 'Of course! Whyever not!'

His face broke out into a relieved smile. 'Thanks. Actually, I - '

A voice from above interrupted them. 'Hello? Anyone there?'

They both froze, clutching each other. 'Someone's here,' she whispered.

'Sounds like Harold,' he whispered back, cuddling her close.

'Harold's nice. He won't hurt a fly.'

'I know.'

They stared each into each other's eyes, each searching for the other's meaning in those watery depths, and then, and the precise same moment, they both found it.

Harold appeared, panting, his uniform disheveled. When he saw the lovers at the bank he burst out into a smile. 'It's you guys!' he beamed. 'Man, am I glad to see you! I've been running for ages and I - '

Together, like a finely rehearsed chorus, Ji Hao and Melinda raised their guns and fired. Harold danced, twisted round, and fell over, rolling towards their feet. On his face were two neat, perfectly symmetrical red holes.

'Who got the kill?' Ji Hao said.

'I don't know,' Melinda said, poking the body curiously with her foot. 'Think it counted for both of us?'

'We have to kill someone else,' Ji Hao said. 'Just to make sure.'

They helped each other to reload.

'We have to get moving,' Melinda said. 'Someone will hear.'

'Good point,' he helped her wear her pack while she fiddled with guns, hoisted up his own, and the two set off.

They had been walking for a few minutes when Melinda said, 'Hey, Ji Hao...'

'Yeah?'

'What happens...when we're the only ones left?'

'Well..' Ji Hao shrugged. 'We both die, I guess.'

'A lover's suicide,' she giggled.

'Yeah,' Ji Hao said, breaking into a strained smile. 'A lover's suicide.'

She stopped, dropping the packs. 'I love you, Ji Hao.'

'I love you, Melinda.'

'Kiss me.'

And this time, he obliged.


	9. Jack

**Jack**

* * *

The grass crunched beneath his feet, the moon above lighted his way, and the town rose up to greet the Jack of all Trades.

Unlike the others, whom he assumed - no, deduced - were still around blundering around in the forest, Jack himself had already been speeding up the trail, towards what he knew was the small village named _Monyet Ketua, _or, Monkey's Head in Malay. It was the perfect hiding spot - supplies were bound to be abundant, it was tucked behind some hills, and as far as he knew, none of his other classmates even knew it existed.

Why would they? They were just ordinary teenagers, milling about with their parties and outings, mundane activities he participated in only to foster his social standing in class. But it took a an extremely different breed to have researched Singapore, Malaysia, and the deserted island that lay between the two countries, purely out of intellectual interest.

A breed worthy of a Jack of all Trades.

He knew he was a cut above the others - he wasn't being arrogant, it was simple fact. After all, it was he who had wisely kept silent when they had first woken up in that hellish classroom, and it was Ian who was the one who rebelled and got shot in the arm for his pains. The trick was timing. Those government pricks would have their just desserts, it just took the right timing. Vivek hadn't grasped the timing. He had whispered to him on the classroom, to meet him outside and then they would storm the classroom together - except Jack had argued vehemently with him and then Vivek had gone on in anyway. Jack had heard the rifles, and knew that Vivek was a goner. He still had a monocule of guilt, but he pushed it away. He had tried to stop Vivek, he had really tried, but in the end it was every man for himself. If Vivek wanted to get killed, it was his business.

He checked that his weapon was still firmly grasped in his hands. When he had first zipped open his bag and found the flare gun nestled inside, he had almost laughed at the stupidity of it all. The government were idiots. Total idiots. Already they had let one slip past their grip.

Although, as much as he loathed to admit it, the kill-by-midnight rule was a pretty effective scare tactic.

And after Darren had gone crazy...well, Jack thought he could estimate a fairly accurate body count. He was no stranger to human nature - he knew his classmates would be ripping each other's throats out before long. The trick was, to stay out of the way in this nice cozy village - and work on his escape plan.

Although, there was still a chance, a very slight chance, that a psycho with a gun could come barreling into here and start shooting the place up.

Jack glanced down at his weapon once again. He needed the flare gun, but there were plenty of other ways he could kill someone, and he knew he had the ability to. The question was - could he find the heart to?

Certainly, he could visualize plenty of his other classmates bearing opposite sentiments. Ian, despite nursing a broken arm, was still a overflowing pot of teenage wrath in any circumstance. And Kevin, the cold, emotionless boy who never smiled - the perfect killing machine.

You couldn't count out the class 'rejects' either - Samuel and Yusuf. Jack had always sensed a dark instability within them, a kind of desperate longing for acceptance, a deep desire that could easily be warped into killing intent.

But what had surprised him most back at the classroom was Darren. Of all people, he had never expected Darren to be the one to draw first blood. Darren, the bookworm, the mugger, the second teacher's pet after Joey, the stickler for authority - he was the last one to be going out blowing people's brains out. But now that he had, it was sure the rest would follow suit.

But anyway, the chances that anyone would turn up here was relatively small. It was an acceptable risk. And the kill-by-midnight rule? He didn't need to worry about it. By midnight, he would be long gone.

The Jack of all Trades had never met a challenge he couldn't beat. Basketball, academics, chess and reversi - he had mastered them all. This game, this battle royale was just another day in the life. Jack had seen how Mr Tan had acted in the classroom. Who that man's sickly thin lips had twisted into a smile after Ian's arm had gotten blown off. That man had thought nothing could beat him, that no one could beat the game.

Well, the Jack of all Trades had a thing or two to say about that. When evening came, he would be swimming his way free to Malaysia, his collar long gone, the island of death and destruction far behind him. He had a plan.

He wished he could see the look on that bastard's face when he found out.


	10. Brendan

**Brendan**

* * *

Alright!

Now that Takeshi was with him, there were only two more girls to find. After they picked up Victoria and Joey, the Cool Crowd would be complete again - or at least, as complete as it would be. Vivek's death had shocked the brains out of him, but, funnily enough, he had forgotten right about it when he found himself trekking through the forest with twenty-five other classmates lusting for his blood.

But he had lucked out. He didn't know exactly what his weapon was called, but he immediately knew what it was from the action movies - a pump-action shotgun. And to build further onto his streak of luck, the first person he had ran into was Takeshi.

Takeshi had always been his wingman, always appearing at the foot of the court whenever Brendan needed a clear shot. Sure, Joey played too, but she was only a girl. Brendan and Takeshi were the real heroes of basketball. Once they were paired together, they were unstoppable. And now that they were together once again, there was nothing to worry about. They would look out for each other, watch each other's backs, and always get the ball. Just like old times.

The two of them hadn't said much when they had first met - simply wrapped each other in an embrace, then started walking, trying to find a way out of this fucking maze of trees. But now, Takeshi spoke.

'What're we going to do now?' he said, looking down at his feet.

'Should be obvious, man. We find Vic and Joey.'

'You think they'll trust us?'

'Are you fucking me? Of course they will.'

'You sure?'

'Come on, we're fucking friends. It'll be fine, don't worry. They won't start shooting at us or anything.'

'You're right,' Takeshi said, and lapsed into silence once more. He was never one for talking.

'Hey, what do you think about the extra rule?'

'What extra rule?'

'You know, the rule that you have to kill by midnight or else your collar will explode or something.'

'Oh, that.'

'Yeah, well, are we going to kill?'

Takeshi shrugged.

'We have to, you know,' Brendan said, although, rather curiously, he felt somewhat removed from the conversation. It was like it was all a dream, and he could simply wake up any minute just in time for school.

Takeshi didn't reply, just looked down at his feet.

'Well, I don't think I'm going to kill,' Brendan said. 'We've got to, like, think of something. We could escape. Hey, you know Jack? Maybe he's figured out a way by now. That bastard always figures things out, you know what I'm saying?'

Takeshi raised his head and pointed. 'River.'

Indeed, there was a furious mass of rushing water blocking their path. They both stood at the bank uncertainly, wondering how to cross without losing their footing.

But Brendan was always one for making up good plans. He handed his pack and his shotgun to Takeshi. 'Alright, here's how it goes. You stay here with all the stuff. I cross over. You toss me the stuff, one after another. Then you cross over. That way we won't fall over and drown with all the heavy stuff.'

Takeshi nodded his assent, and slung the pack over his shoulder. Brendan lifted his cuffs to his ankles and began to wade in. For some reason, the vigorous water battering at his knees reminded of Joey. Damn, she was one good kid. When he had mimed the handshake to her back in the classroom, under full risk of getting shot by that psycho Mr Tan, he had well and truly meant it. He wanted her to survive. Not that he was in love with her or anything - she was just a really, really, good friend. One of the best. With luck, they would find her before anything happened, and together he and Takeshi could protect her.

He finally reached the end of the riverbank, and was about to signal to Takeshi, when he spotted something long and dark blue snaking out from underneath a bush. His back stiffening, he crept closer for a look.

It was Harold. Two holes lay across his forehead, blood and bone sticking out. Brendan cartwheeled backwards in terror, nearly tripping over himself.

'Holy shit!' he shouted. 'Holy shit, Takeshi, did you see that - '

Takeshi, standing statue-like on the opposite bank, still had the shotgun. He was pointing it at Brendan.

'I'm sorry,' he said, and pulled the trigger.

'What the fu - '


End file.
